By Christy Hudson
Cache Valley Center of the Arts hosted a rocking and rollicking one-night concert event with professional ukulele player Jake Shimabukuro at the Ellen Eccles Theatre in Logan, Utah.
Jake Shimabukuro grew up in Honolulu, Hawaii and started playing the ukulele at the age of four. By the time he was fourteen, he had started finding inspiration from a variety of artists and styles, even those that seem a little bit unexpected for a ukulele. In 2005, a video of Shimabukuro playing George Harrison’s“While My Guitar Gently Weeps” went viral on YouTube, and many dubbed him “the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele.”
The concert featured a lot of songs from Shimabukuro’s album The Greatest Day, which includes covers of famous songs, as well as a lot of originals by Shimabukuro. The title track itself is stunning, starting bright and swelling into a mixture of sounds that make it easy to visualize how it could signify the greatest day. Another original piece is “Go For Broke,” which Shimabukuro wrote as a tribute to veterans. It starts out with a military drum, except it is played on the ukulele. I don’t mean that he drummed on his instrument; he muted the strings and strummed in a way that sounded like drumsticks hitting a drum. It’s one example of how he uses his instrument in unorthodox, inventive ways.
Shimabukuro shares the stage with Electric Guitarist Dave Preston and Bassist Nolan Verner. The blend that these three have is incredibly beautiful. Every song is mesmerizing because every sound mixes into sweet, balanced harmonies.
Preston and Verner had their own moments to shine as well. They performed an original piece by Verner called “Morning Blue,” which he wrote for his son. It was so serene and stunning, and featured some interesting sounds; I noticed the guitar ringing in a way that sounded a little like rain. It’s a beautiful piece. Preston also got to stand out, in their rendition of “Use Me” by Bill Withers. This was the only number to include any singing. Preston’s guitar rang out gorgeously, matched with his cool voice, creating an exquisite song.
The truth is, I could really go through every song they played and try to describe why it was great, because they were all so incredible. Each one contains unique features and instrumentations. Shimabukuro is a spectacular ukulele player who can really riff and play in a way that you’ve likely never heard before. Preston and Verner are both also amazingly talented musicians as well. The three of them were rocking out and were clearly having fun on that stage. A lot of musicians and musical artists, and even just music enthusiasts, can probably relate to the feeling people gets when they are absorbed in the music, getting lost in it, recognizing the beauty they are making and hearing. Shimabukuro, Preston, and Verner seemed to be experiencing that as they played together. They used their talents to create something beautiful, and they clearly enjoyed doing it.
Cache Valley Center of the Arts’ presentation of Jake Shimabukuro was such a fun concert. I wish he was sticking around to give more performances because I want to tell my friends to go see him. The music was just awesome, and I smiled through all of the complicated, interesting instrumentations. He is touring all over the place, with some performances in Idaho, Arizona, and California. If he is playing near you, you may want to check him out. I loved his concert and highly recommend hearing him if you get the chance.
CacheArts Presents Jake Shimabukuro
Ellen Eccles Theatre, 43 S Main St, Logan, UT, 84321
March 11, 2019, 7:30 PM
CacheArts Facebook Page
Jake Shimabukuro Upcoming Tour Dates
Jake Shimabukuro’s YouTube Channel
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